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Bitdefender GravityZone Enterprise Security vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 9, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Bitdefender GravityZone Ent...
Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
23rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
Virtualization Security (3rd)
Microsoft Defender for Endp...
Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
194
Ranking in other categories
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (2nd), Anti-Malware Tools (1st), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (3rd), Microsoft Security Suite (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category, the mindshare of Bitdefender GravityZone Enterprise Security is 0.8%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is 10.8%, down from 14.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
 

Featured Reviews

Rias Majeed - PeerSpot reviewer
Admin gets the information about which computer has been infected and good to use for servers and endpoints
The important factor is that after implementing Bitdefender, we haven't found any attacks. It has a vaccine for the RDP protocol, which is specific to this. We do some customization, but it does not lack any protection. Compared to older versions, we have not found any degradation in performance in the newer versions from the last three to five years, whether for graphical or normal users. They're not complaining that we are facing problems like memory issues. Bitdefender is also customizable and granular, but once you install it, it keeps running. The admin gets the information about which computer has been infected and can take action accordingly. On a regular basis, Bitdefender's AI capability is okay. But you cannot leave some decisions to AI. You must have control. You have to look at what you're filtering, as it can be a false positive. But on a regular basis, AI can be helpful.
AnuragSrivastava - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides detailed visibility into threats but the ability to add exceptions needs improvement
One major item for improvement is the ability to add exceptions. We can add some exceptions, but not at the level we need to. The second major area for improvement involves enhanced capabilities for different operating systems or platforms. That is, even though we have coverage for different operating systems or platforms such as Linux, we don't get all of the controls and enhanced capabilities that are available with Windows devices. Reporting could also be improved because, at present, we get limited results at times. For example, in an environment with more than 100,000 devices, you may just get 10,000 results when you run a report.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It takes lesser energy from the system than the rest. So, we tried it for five years, and it works quite well. So we have continued with it. And the pricing is competitive as well."
"Security for malware and threats is the most valuable feature."
"We find the protection the solution provides valuable."
"Virus scan and the ability to remotely install are valuable features. Being able to manage everything in one place and set different policies and rules for different computer types are very useful features. It also has ransomware protection. It is very simple to use, and it is very effective."
"It is very easy to configure and deploy."
"Bitdefender GravityZone Enterprise Security has a lot of telemetry that allows me to really see what's going on with the device."
"The features I found most valuable in Bitdefender GravityZone Enterprise Security include anti-malware, spyware detection, firewall, network detection, and user behavior analytics. The solution also gives you a heads-up about operating system misconfiguration."
"The product is a good standard security tool."
"It's stable."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint are the ease of use and it was available within the operating system."
"Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has been secure and there is zero maintenance required because it updates with Microsoft Windows."
"It's an enterprise solution that provides a centralized console and it supports all the platforms that we use, including Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, and Android."
"It performs well. The stability is seamless."
"I like the real-time protection features. Windows Defender will detect if there's a threat like a Trojan or something like that but Kaspersky lets it run normally."
"The detection features are valuable, as is the fact that it is easier to port these logs into Sentinel. That is also useful for us. It is more comprehensive."
"Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is beneficial because we are using Microsoft Windows and all the core solutions are made by Microsoft, such as the authentic platform, operating system, and antivirus protection. It is a heterogeneous environment. We had to use third-party solutions before and update everything separately. For example, the policy for antivirus. With Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, when Microsoft Windows receives updates it will update with it. This is one main advantage of this solution."
 

Cons

"My main concern is that it's a bit heavy for some devices. Like Kaspersky or McAfee, it uses more RAM or memory. Similar to that, it causes issues for users and their own resources, similar to that. If you deploy on old legacy devices with only 1GB of RAM, then it could be a problem."
"Overall, Bitdefender GravityZone Enterprise Security is quite good. It always has new features which customers can use for free, so I can't say that something is missing in the solution, though one area for improvement is that the cloud version of Bitdefender GravityZone Enterprise Security still can't connect to a central SIEM. The on-premises version has that capability, but the cloud version doesn't."
"Bitdefender GravityZone Enterprise Security could improve the RDP, I have problems sometimes."
"The solution's stability could be better."
"We had experienced a crash and had to reinstall it."
"It could be simplified a little bit for firewall rules and blocking specific IP addresses. It would be nice to have an option to upload a CSV or XLSX file of IP addresses to be blacklisted or to be able to specify a range as attempted logins from botnets and people attempting to access network accounts is an increasing issue across the board."
"At this point in time, the download footprint is a bit big."
"The dashboard can be improved."
"I would like to see integrations with other products, such as Spunk and other CM solutions. That would create possibilities for me, and for a SOC, to consolidate all events in an older console, not one provided by Microsoft but provided by a third party, and use it to create more insights."
"Integrating this with third-party systems has some complexity involved."
"It can get a bit laggy sometimes. Other than that, we don't have any issues. They constantly tweak it and fix it up based on users' feedback. It has improved a lot over the past four years. Defender for Endpoint never really used to be a good endpoint security solution, but over the past couple of years, Microsoft has invested heavily in it. So, it has come a long way in all aspects of endpoint security. If they want to make it better, they should just continue investing in the current path of what they've been doing over the past couple of years."
"The central console needs improvement. Both McAfee and Symantec antivirus have dashboards. These integrate with a server and work on my antivirus or some other product. However, with Microsoft Defender, you use Microsoft Group Policy Object. Defender does not provide a central console. Therefore, if you implement Defender, then maybe use another tool for the central view."
"My main issue with the tool is that there are too many menus. This causes a steep learning curve for those without training or unfamiliar with Defender for Endpoint. From an end-user perspective, the solution is there on the machine and does its job; it works seamlessly. However, as a security professional dealing with it behind the scenes, the learning curve can be steep, but not too steep. Still, it has taken some of my analysts up to a month to get familiar with the product."
"There are some areas in the proactive threats that are just overwhelming the SOC, so we've had to turn those off until we can figure out how to filter out the false positives."
"Microsoft Defender for Endpoint could improve by making the reporting better."
"At times, the other antivirus products are now doing AI, in terms of understanding the behavior of the system and determining when there's an anomaly. This is something that Defender can improve on."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool is not expensive and pricing is competitive."
"The license is yearly."
"Good in terms of pricing and flexibility."
"The general basic price is roughly $1.20 for a license with Bitdefender."
"We purchase the solution for three or five-year intervals. We paid approximately $150 for 10 to 15 users."
"You don't have to pay extra after buying the product."
"In terms of the licensing costs associated with Bitdefender GravityZone Enterprise Security, the agreement was made nearly three years ago, but from what I recall, the figure was around €6,000 to €7,000 for three years, including support for two hundred endpoints."
"The product's pricing is okay and it is yearly."
"Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is included with a Microsoft E5 license."
"AV solutions are pretty expensive because they are necessary, not just for protection, but many businesses need them to comply with regulatory bodies and receive accreditation. We recently purchased an E5 license, which gives us access to the entire Microsoft suite. I would say the pricing is competitive; most tools of this kind are similarly priced. There are minor differences between the competitors, but they aren't spectacularly different. Defender for Endpoint makes sense because all our solutions are in the same place, paid for with a single license. The subscription price is around £50 per user per month, though it may have increased slightly."
"It is free. It is included in Windows 10."
"For me, the pricing is very good, but for management it's very expensive. Other solutions are less expensive. But when I present all the information and all the reports they say, "Well, it's expensive, but the cost-benefit is very good.""
"You do not need to pay any additional costs for antivirus and anti-malware solutions for endpoint protection."
"Currently, for us, Windows Defender is free with the purchase of Windows Server. Pricing is an important point for us when we are looking at the competitors of this solution. If we choose to go with another vendor, we will have to pay some license fees."
"We have the E5 security license, and the solution comes with that."
"Microsoft has different plans for buying this product. The price depends on the configuration of the full set of products that you buy and on the licensing program in your contract."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Educational Organization
25%
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Bitdefender GravityZone Enterprise Security?
It is perfectly stable. We haven't received any complaints from customers regarding stability or performance. It's been smooth sailing so far.
What needs improvement with Bitdefender GravityZone Enterprise Security?
At this point in time, the download footprint is a bit big. What I mean is the initial file I download to deploy on end-user devices is about six hundred to seven hundred megabytes, and it should b...
How is Cortex XDR compared with Microsoft Defender?
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a cloud-delivered endpoint security solution. The tool reduces the attack surface, applies behavioral-based endpoint protection and response, and includes risk-ba...
Which offers better endpoint security - Symantec or Microsoft Defender?
We use Symantec because we do not use MS Enterprise products, but in my opinion, Microsoft Defender is a superior solution. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a cloud-delivered endpoint security s...
How does Microsoft Defender for Endpoint compare with Crowdstrike Falcon?
The CrowdStrike solution delivers a lot of information about incidents. It has a very light sensor that will never push your machine hardware to "test", you don't have the usual "scan now" feature ...
 

Also Known As

Bitdefender GravityZone Security for Virtualized Environments, GravityZone Security for Virtualized Environments
Microsoft Defender ATP, Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection, MS Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Defender Antivirus
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

SambaSafety, Morefield Communications, Northstar Ltd., Citrix, Greenman-Pedersen
Petrofrac, Metro CSG, Christus Health
Find out what your peers are saying about Bitdefender GravityZone Enterprise Security vs. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
849,686 professionals have used our research since 2012.